An Ethnobotanical Approach to Finding An2microbial Compounds in
Wooly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum) Using a Kirby-‐Bauer Disc
Diffusion Assay By: MaDhew C. Fleming and P.
MaDhew Joyner
Ethnobotany is the scien2fic study of characterizing why cultures use plants the way they do.
hDp://www.naturebridge.org/santa-‐monica-‐mountains
hDp://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/05/03/disinfectants-‐for-‐camp-‐field-‐and-‐household/
hDp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumash_(tribe)
Goals of my project
1. Determine whether a wooly blue curls extract exhibits an2microbial characteris2cs.
2. Determine what compound in the wooly blue curls extract works as an an2microbial.
3. Determine how these an2microbials effect different bacteria.
Prepara2on of WBC extract Soak in MeOH for 12-‐14 hrs.
Evaporate solvent with a Rotevap.
Re-‐dissolve in DMSO
Strain out solids
hDp://cen.acs.org/ar2cles/91/web/2013/06/Nontoxic-‐Solvents-‐Extract-‐Compounds-‐Plants.html
The technique used to determine an2microbial ac2vity was the Kirbey-‐Bauer disc diffusion assay.
• Pic of sterile tube with bacteria.ànanodrop à diluted to 3 tubes à coDon swab used to inoculate agar plateà disc dispenserà Pipet àincubateà measure with a ruler.
hDp://openwetware.org/wiki/Luckau_Protocols:NanoDrop
hDp://www.bio-‐world.com/produc2nfo/3_43_287_683/2490/M-‐Medium-‐x-‐sterile-‐liquid.html
hDp://www.grainger.com/Grainger/incubators/lab-‐ovens-‐hea2ng-‐and-‐refrigera2on/lab-‐supplies/ecatalog/N-‐ktb
Check Density
Swab onto agar
Introduce discs
Inoculate discs with 10uL of extract
Incubate at 37°C for 18hrs.
Ager incuba2on, I quan2fied my results by measuring the diameters of inhibi2on.
ampicillin (0.01 mg)
wooly blue curl extract
nega2ve control
NI NI NI NT NT NI
NI
NI= No Inhibi2on NT= Not Tested
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Staphylococcus epidermidis
NI NI 0
0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5 3
3.5
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Staphylococcus aureus
NI NI NI
0 0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Corynebacterium xerosis
NI
All Gram + bacteria had a response to the wooly blue curls extract, but there was some varia2on among responses.
Though some Gram + bacteria varied in response, others reacted very similarly.
NI= No Inhibi2on
0 0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5 3
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Bacillus megaterium
NI
0 0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5 3
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Bacillus sub8lis
NI
0 0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5 3
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Enterococcus faecalis
NI NI
The E.coli ΔtolC strain, which does not produce the tolC drug efflux pump, was suscep2ble to the wooly blue curls extract!
NI= No Inhibi2on
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
1.25mg 0.50mg 0.20mg 0.01mg ampicillin
DMSO
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Escherichia coli WT
NI NI NI NI
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
1.25mg 0.50mg 0.20mg 0.01mg ampicillin
DMSO
Diam
eter of
inhibi.o
n (cm)
Escherichia coli ΔtolC
NI NI
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Diam
eter of inh
ibi.on
(cm)
Figure 3. Summary of the response of each bacterium treated with 1.25 mg of wooly blue curl extract.
No inhibi2on
Gram-‐posi2ve bacteria (blue) show greater sensi2vity to growth inhibi2on than gram-‐nega2ve bacteria (orange).
No inhibi2on
Bacte Niche Gram(+/-‐) 125mg/ml WBC inhibi.on (cm)
Staphylococcus epidermidis Skin + 1.11 + .07
Staphylococcus aureus Skin + .92 + .04
Corynebacterium xerosis Skin + 1.96 + .19
Enterococcus faecalis Gut + 1.16 + .02
Bacillus sub<lis Gut + 1.14 + .07
Bacillus megaterium Env. + 1.09 + .07
Salmonella typhimurium Gut -‐ 0 + 0
Escherichia coli WT Gut -‐ 0 + 0
Escherichia coli ΔtolC Gut -‐ 1.33 + .03 Gram nega2ve E. coli ΔtolC with inhibited efflux pumps becomes suscep2ble to WBC extracts.
Gram posi2ve bacteria are suscep2ble to the WBC extract
WBC extracts did not inhibit wild type Gram nega2ve bacteria.
Table 1: Summary of DDA data.
Table 1. Summary of bacterial growth inhibi2on by treatment with 1.25 mg of wooly blue curl extract.
Bacterium Niche Gram (+/-‐)
Diameter of inhibi.on (cm)
Staphylococcus epidermidis Skin + 1.11 + 0.07
Staphylococcus aureus Skin + 0.92 + 0.04
Corynebacterium xerosis Skin + 1.96 + 0.19
Enterococcus faecalis Gut + 1.16 + 0.02
Bacillus sub<lis Gut + 1.14 + 0.07
Bacillus megaterium Env. + 1.09 + 0.07
Salmonella typhimurium Gut -‐ 0.00 + 0.00
Escherichia coli WT Gut -‐ 0.00 + 0.00 Escherichia coli ΔtolC Gut -‐ 1.33 + 0.03
The wild type E. coli was not suscep2ble to inhibi2on by wooly blue curl treatment but the E. coli ΔtolC strain which has inhibited drug efflux was suscep2ble.
All of the skin-‐associated bacteria tested were suscep2ble to inhibi2on by wooly blue curl extract.
All the Gram + bacteria showed posi2ve results, whereas the Gram – had no response regardless of the niche they most commonly occupy.
Conclusions of goals 1. The Chumash medicinal plant wooly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum) does exhibit an2bacterial proper2es.
2. Gram -‐ and Gram + bacteria show different suscep2bility to growth inhibi2on by wooly blue curls extract.
3. Resistance seen of Gram -‐ bacteria may be due to drug efflux pumps and an extra outer membrane.
*We were unable to determine the compound working as an an2microbial.
Further Study
• We would like to frac2onate the extract to determine the ac2ve compound and test how effec2ve it actually is.
• Test for synergis2c proper2es of compounds within the wooly blue curls extract6.
• Screen other Chumash plants for efflux pump inhibitors.
hDps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Anagallis_arvensis_2.jpg
Anagalis Arvensis “Scarlet Pimpernel”
Acknowledgments
• This research was funded by the Na2onal Science Founda2on, Research Experience for Undergraduates, REU-‐Site Grant, #DBI-‐1062721 and the Natural Science Division of Pepperdine. We would also like to thank Victoria Hester for her
help with plant collec2on and extract prepara2on.
References 1. Tegos, G., Stermitz, F. R., Lomovskaya, O., and Lewis, K.
An<microb. Agents Chemother. 2002, 46 (10), 3133–3141. 2. Timbrook, J. Chumash Ethnobotany: Plant Knowledge
Among the Chumash People of Southern California. 2007, Heyday Books.
3. The Human Microbiome Project Consor2um. Nature 2012, 486, 207–214.
4. Cox, P. A. Science 1994, 287, 44-‐45. 5. Davis, W. W. and Stout, T. R. Applied Microbiology 1971, 22
(4), 666–670. 6. Stavri, M., Piddock, L. J. V. & Gibbons. J. An<microb.
Chemother. 2007, 59, 1247–1260.